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AFTAB AHMAD MALIK is the former Executive Director of the Zaytuna Institute, (Berkeley, California) the West’s foremost Muslim theological college. He is a former Visiting Fellow at the Centre for Ethnicity and Culture at the University of Birmingham and currently, a designated “Global Expert” on Muslim affairs for the United Nations’ Alliance of Civilizations. He has been called a “first rate scholar” by John L. Esposito, “a rising intellectual star” by The Muslim World Book Review, an “expert [on] British Islam” by World Defense Review columnist Abigail Esman and as someone “at the cutting edge of research on Islam and at the heart of a group of young, emerging Muslim scholars, as well as established Muslim scholars,” by Professor Philip Lewis at the department of Peace Studies (University of Bradford). [Read his full bio]

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EVENT 1

Topic: Through the Looking Glass: The Misadventures of the Modern MuslimDate: Tuesday 9 August 2016Venue: SimplyIslam (152 Still Road)

Like Alice, in Lewis Carroll’s enticing story of a young girl, challenged by a fantastical world, Muslims today are also confronted by a parody of Islam. They see Muslims carrying out acts so heinous, that they cannot fathom how they can be justified in the name of a Merciful God. And yet, many non-Muslims see the very same acts as being carried out “in the name of Islam,” just as the criminals claim.

With blood flowing ever freely, the honour of the Prophet Muhammad being dragged through the proverbial mud, and the sanctity of life being crushed underfoot by murderous hearts, this lecture will attempt to make sense of this fantastical world in which a parody of Islam lives. It will seek to explore the intellectual fault lines of normative Islam and its parody, thus allowing non-Muslims and Muslims alike to distinguish beauty from the ugly and fact from fiction.

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EVENT 2

Topic: The Crisis of ISIS and the State of Muslims TodayDate: Wednesday 10 August 2016Venue: SimplyIslam (152 Still Road)

This lecture will discuss ISIS in two parts. The first part will revolve around history, fiqh, and politics, whereas the second, will be an examination of the state of Muslims today. In the first part, the lecture will look at the history of the kharajites, and discuss their signs and describe their barbarity. It will discuss how even some of the Sahaba were in awe of their outward appearances, and how Imam Ali, had to remind them that they had gone astray and had to be fought. The talk will also mention some of the signs of the kharajites that have come down to us through various hadith. The fiqh aspect will look at what our classical scholars said concerning the kharajites.

The second part of the lecture will discuss the sad state of international politics, and how tragedies in the political arena serve as recruiting grounds for groups such as ISIS. It will state that all life is not seen to be equal, and this creates rage. Finally, the last section of the lecture will look at two aspects of contemporary Muslims: a) general observations, and then, 2) addressing the issue of knowledge. In part a) the lecture will discuss how mercy is lacking from the Muslim discourse, while part b) will talk about the consequences of the loss of traditional Islamic knowledge.

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EVENT 3

Topic: The Broken Chain: Reflections upon the Neglect of a TraditionDate: Friday 12 August 2016Venue: SimplyIslam (152 Still Road)

Join us for a tour-de-force review of the development of normative Islamic scholasticism and hadith scholarship in general, the decline of knowledge and challenges Muslims face today vis-à-vis ‘ilm. This lecture session will emphasise the tolerance of religious pluralism within Sunni Islam, place an emphasis on following qualified scholarship and highlight the pitfalls of following contemporary autodidacts.

The instructor, Aftab Malik, is the author of the bestseller “The Broken Chain: Reflections upon the Neglect of a Tradition” a book described as “an important, accessible and timely work that summarises the traditional scholarship that has become available to English-speaking Muslims in the last decade or so.” (Q-News Magazine). The lecture will be based on this book.

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EVENT 4

Topic: The Mawlid: From Fiction to FiqhDate: Saturday 13 August 2016Venue: SimplyIslam (152 Still Road)

“How can people understand the reality of this man in this world? When they are people immersed in their dreams, Preoccupied in their fantasies?” This lecture will look at the reality of the celebration of the mawlid by examining the role of fiqh that is essential to understand its celebration.

The lecture is interluded by a Mawlid recitation by the Singapore Haqqani Ensemble [Facebook].

All events are FREE but registration is required. For any enquiries, please call 65474407 or email enquiries@simplyislam.sg